Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-09-03
MEETING OF FARMERS.

week, and were addressed BY a
number of leading men. CAM
Chas. Grattan discussed the trans
portation problem, and declared that
the West Virginia farmer of on
acres good land was forced TO nor
$240 per year to the railroads. Thu
principal remedy for the evils vos
the passage of railroad law simila,
to that Of Georgia, which had pro
dnced such excellent results.
HON. J. E. MASSEY,
of Albemarle, entertained the meat
ing in a well conceived speech of
about an hour. He said that
about oil he knew of farming had
been learned in the valley, and at
the Albemarle meeting of farmers.
the best speech made was BY an
Augusta man, Capt. Chas. Grattap.
He would not, therefore, undertake
to teach the farmers of this section
but rather to counsel with them as a
fellow tOiler whose sympathies and
interests were identified with agri.
cultural pursuits. He had no war
to make upon professional OF me.
chanical organizations that had com.
bined for self interest, but be did
think it time for the farmers who
represent three fourths of the pOpu.
lation and an equal proportion of
the values, to equip themselves by
organization for maintenance of
their rights and protection Of their
interests. They are the "mudsillsa
that must at last bear the burden
If you tax the lawyer he adds to bis
fees: the physician-his patients
must pay it; the merchandise sim.
ply increases his profit, and so on
until he gets down to the farmer,
who in the end pays it all. They
not only shoulder the burden, but
they are taxed without representa-.
ton. There is but one farmer in
the U. s. Senate, and twenty in the
House of Representatives. Such
Congress is presumed to know more
about the interests OF three.fourths
of their constituents than men whose
welfare is bound up in that of agrl.
culture. What is needed is such
representation that the representa-.
tives themselves cannot make laws
affecting the farming interests that
will not have like effect upon their
individual interests. In other
words, the farmers should be repre-.
sented in proportion to their mum.
bers and the interests they have at
stake, and the same proportion
should be carried out with reference
to other yocations. A due proper.
ton of lawyers, doctors, merchants,
mechanics, &C., each in accordance
with numerical strength. With
such an assembly the farmers would
be able to command their full share
of legislation-not one-tenth of the
whole, as now.
Mr.. Massey then went on to show
how railroad discrimination injur.
iously affected agriculture, and to
suggest a Investigation of crops,
the using of less commercial fertiliz.
er and greater dependence upon the
barnyard, and to give other practi.
cal and valuable suggestions. lie
said it was great mistake to sup.
pose that the farmers, as class,
were not intelligent, and proper ma.
teriai for legislators. If he wanted
hard, borse, common sense, the farm
was the place to get it.
The resolutions were as follows:
Resolred, By the farmers of Au.
gusta county, in mass.meeting as
sembled, that we pledge ourselves
to use all our influence in the
primaries and vote against any can
didate for the Legislature who re-
fuses to pledge himself to use bis
utmost endeavors to have placed
upon the statute books of this State
at as early a date as possible
First. A stringent law regulating
freight and passenger rates on all
railroads in this State.
Second. A law amending the law
now ON the statute books in regard
to railroad companies fencing their
tracks, so as to compel said railroad
companies to fence their tracks with
in a reasonable time.
Third. A law forbiding any rail-
road issuing free passes.
Fourth. A rigid law for the pnr
pose of stamping out aud preventing
the spread of 2leuro.pneumonia or
other contagious diseases among the
of the State.